When a player goes down after a big hit, fans can expect to see the player's pads and helmet taken off to better assess the extent of possible injuries. The removal of the player's gear should not necessarily mean the player is seriously hurt.

In the past, when there was a potential back or spinal injury on the football field, the player's pads and full equipment would be kept on. The player would be strapped to a board and taken to a hospital.

"One of the challenges the hospital has when it's just logistics, is that the trainers don't accompany those patients to the hospital," said Johnson County Emergency Medical Services Medical Director Ryan Jacobson. "They don't have the specialized equipment that the trainers have that we have on scene to remove that stuff."

Under the new protocol, the player's shoulder pads will be taken off and the jersey removed. Athletic trainers at the schools will be part of the process.

Jacobson said the changes are driven by common sense.

"We feel that most of these injuries are non-time critical. Most are just minor strains and sprains and we have time to package them correctly," said Jacobson. "We feel that the best place to do that is in a controlled environment, on scene with the athletic trainer's assistance."

Experts said athletic trainers are the ones who know how to remove most of the gear designed to protect the body. Emergency medical services crews are trained to remove the helmet, so the two will work together to make sure a player receives the best care after an injury.

The protocol will apply to athletes across all age levels and will expand to include players in other sports who use protective equipment, such as hockey players and baseball catchers.

Johnson County, Kansas, is the first in the region to make the switch to the new protocol, but agencies across the nation and around the world have adopted similar changes.

CRISIS MANAGEMENT. ALMOST TIME FOR FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS! WITH A WHOLE NEW SEASON COMES SOME NEW CHANGES TO INJURY PROTOCOL. KMBC 9S SCOTT MCDONNELL TELLS US WHAT IT WILL MEAN FOR ATHLETES AND FANS. LUCKILY WE FOUND THIS CHIEF'S HELMET LYING AROUND THAT NEWSROOM. THIS IS A SOUVENIR. REAL HELMETS A LOT MORE INTENSE AND MORE DIFFICULT TO TAKE OFF ESPECIALLY WHEN A PLAYER IS INJURED. NEW PROCEDURES IN PLACE AS TO WHO ASSIST IN TAKING OFF AN INJURED PLAYER'S HELMET AND WHEN THAT PROCESS ACTUALLY HAPPENS. GO TIME AT HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL FIELDS. A NEW SEASON, NEW HOPES, AND A NEW PROTOCOL. IF A PLAYER GOES DOWN WITH INJURY IN JOHNSON COUNTY. PADS AND HELMETS WILL BE TAKEN OFF ON THE FIELD IF A PLAYER IS INJURED. THIS IS THE FIRST TO MAKE THE CHANGE IN THE REGION. TRAINERS FROM THE SCHOOL WILL HELP E.M.S. REMOVE THE PADS, AND HELMET. MOST OF THESE INJURIES ARE NON-TIME CRITICAL. MOST WE HAVE TIME TO PACKAGE CORRECTLY AND THE BEST PLACE TO DO THAT IS ON SCENE WITH THE ATHLETIC TRAINERS ASSISTANCE. SO FOR FANS IN THE STANDS IF A BIG PLAY END IN AN INJURY, THE SCENE MAY LOOK A BIT MORE INTENSE BUT IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THE INJURY IS. AS SOON AS THE ATHLETE HITS THE EMERGENCY ROOM, THE DOCTORS CAN GET RIGHT TO WORK ON HIM. THEY DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT REMOVING PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT. I'VE GOT THE HELMET OFF. THIS A NEWER WAY OF TRANSPORTING PARINGS. RESEARCH POINTING TO THE FACT IT HELPS THAT PATIENT WHEN THEY GET TO THE HOSPITAL, IT HELPS WITH IMPROVING AIRWAY RESTRICTION AND MORE COMFORTABLE FOR THE PATIENT. JOHNSON COUNTY IS THE FIRST